'Clothespin Dollies' Poem by Linda Winchell

Never needed much to play with
when I was growing up.
Played clothespins in the bottle,
and a ball for bowling
knocking down some of Mom's, old plastic cups.

I had twelve clothespins for my favorite dollies
their beautiful gowns, from strips of colored rags.
Mom use to let me use them for play
and kept them in a seperate old cloth bag.

I would paint eyes and smiles on them
used some tissue for their hair.
Took little cardboard empty cartons of milk
to make them houses, with lovely rooms upstairs.

One day mommy asked me
if she could use them for her wash?
There on the line, in a row holding on tightly
hung twelve smiles, on the clothesline, going across.

Their tissue hair blowing in the breeze
their legs gripping sheets, oh so tight.
I could see them hanging on the clothesline smiling
while watching out of my bedroom window late that night.